Agatha Christie Birthday Celebrations

2017 dates: 13th-17th September

The 2016 birthday celebrations are now over! We hope to see you at the International Agatha Christie Festival in 2017, 13th-17th September.

Celebrate 100 years of Agatha Christie’s creativity and the creation of Hercule Poirot this September

Thursday 15th September marks the birthday of the Queen of Crime, and her birthplace of Torquay is hosting a very special event to celebrate 100 years since she wrote her first published novel. It was in 1916, aged just 26, that Agatha wrote The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the novel that introduced Hercule Poirot to the world.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of Poirot, the latest adventure of the Belgian detective, Closed Casket, will be published globally on 6th September. The author of the book, Sophie Hannah, herself a passionate Agatha Christie fan, will be in Torquay for the birthday celebrations, answering your questions on her inspiration and discussing her love of Christie. Find out more about the mystery, listen to Sophie’s anecdotes, and bag yourself a signed copy.

The programme includes an exclusive early evening event with Royal Mail, who will launch a special anniversary set of Agatha Christie stamps nationally that very same day, inspired by Christie’s extraordinary creativity. Hear from the stamp designer about the inspiration behind the designs, and from Royal Mail’s Editorial Manager on the process from design, through royal approval, to print.

The birthday event will be topped and tailed by Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie’s grandson. Mathew will open the celebrations with a reading of the famous short story The Witness for the Prosecution, first published in 1925 and shortly to be adapted into a major new BBC production by Sarah Phelps, the screenwriter behind last Christmas’ big hitter And Then There Were None, starring Aidan Turner and Charles Dance.

The evening will draw to a close as fans join Mathew to raise a birthday glass to Dame Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime.

In addition, there will be book signings from artist Tom Adams, famous for his Fontana Agatha Christie covers of the 1960s and 1970s, and from Dr John Curran, who has recently released a dual volume of his Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks.

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Agatha Christie died on the 12th of January 1976 at the age of 85. She had published 79 crime novels, 19 plays, 22 short story collections, 6 romantic novels and 2 non-fiction works including her autobiography.

Agatha Christie’s daughter Rosalind gifted Greenway, Agatha’s summer residence in South Devon, to the National Trust in 1999.

Agatha never did any writing work at Greenway but she did read current manuscripts to her family there.

In 1971 Agatha was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Agatha became Lady Mallowan in 1968 after her husband Max was knighted for his contribution to archaeology.

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What else is on over the Agatha Christie birthday week? The main events will take place on Thursday 15th September at Torre Abbey in Torquay, but if you’re coming for a longer stay in South Devon, here are some of the other Agatha Christie-related events you might enjoy: Greenway, Agatha Christie’s Holiday Home Greenway, Christie’s breath-taking holiday home on the banks of the River Dart, is open daily to visitors. From 14th-16th September the property is hosting a number of events, including a Literary Dinner with Dr John Curran, a book signing with Sophie Hannah and a Dead Man’s Folly walk and talk in the grounds – the inspiration for the novel. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway/features/happy-birthday-agatha Torquay Museum Agatha Christie’s father Frederick Miller was a patron of the Torquay Natural History Society, and now the museum hosts the UK’s only permanent Agatha Christie gallery with items from the set of ITV’s Poirot, starring David Suchet. On 13th and 14th September the museum will host a lecture with Dr John Curran, and three film showings, including John’s ever-popular Mystery Film Night. http://www.torquaymuseum.org/events/month/2016-09 A Murder is Announced Highly-renowned amateur theatre company TOADS are performing A Murder is Announced between 5th and 17th September. This classic Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and red herrings will take place at the Little Theatre, one of the quirkiest theatre venues in South Devon. http://toadslittletheatre.co.uk/forthcoming-shows/ Murder on the Nile Respected amateur theatre company Bijou Theatre Productions are performing Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile at the Palace […]